Living Off the Past
by Chibi Tsuki
Summary: Zechs: a refugee, a cadet and a killer.


**Living Off the Past**

Chibi Tsuki

**_A/N:_**_ Just a one-shot fic. **Review** afterwards please? Please, please, please?_

~*~*~

The young boy dangled his legs over the edge of the hay wagon, looking groggily at the ground as the old fashioned transportation moved along. His consciousness was fairly dim and his mind was blank; just blank. What was there to think about anyway? His life had vanished before his eyes all those years ago and yet he had no clue as to why he was still in existence. He just continued to live. Stirring awake, the other passengers wrapped themselves the best they could in the cold, bitter night. Their garments were thin and worn out as the frosty air kept nipping at their skin through their clothes. But luckily their next stop wasn't too far. With his messy long ponytail knotted and filthy, the eleven year old took no notice of it and didn't care to rid the hair of its bad condition and left it as it was. When at last they reached the closest village, they left the carriage in search of a warm meal and drink and perhaps even shelter. Standing only several metres away from the boy was the driver who had been driving the horse on since early that morning with occasional breaks. He stared at the boy and shook in head before helping the boy down the back of the empty wagon. Gently, he led the youngest passenger to the others his right hand on the boys back and his left hand holding the horse's reins loosely. Until they reached the inn, the driver pushed the boy through the doorway before guiding the horse to a little shelter spot around the back where the horse could rest and restore its energy until the next morning. 

When the driver had finally returned, the child was already taking sips of his soup in such a polite manner as if he were brought up by nobles. Only after two weeks of travelling with this chivalrous companion, the old man had confirmed the fact that the boy was definitely someone important or was at least from noble background. Seating himself next to him, he settled down on the bench for a warm bowl of soup and some bread. Although they were refugees, it didn't mean that they didn't have enough money for a simple meal once a day. There were seven of them altogether and together, they had enough money to survive a month; that is if they spent it only on essential items and as for sleeping the night, they would have to sleep in an old hut or perhaps a hay shack. Even a stable with the horses was good enough; as long as they were protected from the rain and night breezes. 

"Sir, would I be allowed another bowl?" the boy beside him asked hopefully.

"Sure boy and it's Hayden. Just call me Hayden," he grinned as best as his old muscles would allow as he refilled the bowl. Then there was silence, no one spoke at all so that they could save their energy and not waste it. It was already tiring enough just travelling along the bumpy roads and it was fairly hard for them to fall asleep since the road wasn't all that smooth. Hayden stood up and walked over to the inn keeper and asked him whether there were any spare shelter around the area. The inn keeper sadly shook his head and continued his work, wiping down the counter. "Tonight, we'll be sleeping in the streets I guess. There aren't any available places for us to rest," he informed the others as he sat back down and finished his meal. Seeing the grim look on the traveller's faces, he sighed and tried to say something to uplift their spirits but nothing came out.

As they were beginning to leave, the inn keeper walked up to them and muttered something to one of the travellers and almost instantly, the refugee smiled and thanked him. Without waiting for a cue, he stated, "Good news, we'll be sleeping in the dining room as long as we help him wipe up the tables and clean the dishes." They instantly rejoiced silently to themselves, at least they found somewhere to stay from the cold tonight but tomorrow night was another issue that would later be thought of.

~*~*~

Shaking the child awake, Hayden gently sat the boy up and led him to the table where they would have a sip of water and a very small portion of bread loaf and afterwards, they would be packing their few belongings into the wagon and continue their journey. The only bit of information Hayden knew about the boy was that his name was Milliardo and nothing else; not even how old he was or where he came from. But he understood that Milliardo wanted to keep this information to himself and that he should be allowed his privacy to himself. Milliardo grabbed the large rag off the floor and settled it on the driver's seat. Softly chuckling, the old man asked why Milliardo had placed the rug there and received a simple answer as a reply, "Because I'm sitting at the front with you this time." Hayden only nodded as he ordered the horse to move forward, starting the journey once again. 

Milliardo had grown fond of the old man, he reminded him of their faithful butler, Pagen. They had been travelling for another four hours and suddenly, he spoke up and broke the eerie silence. "Hayden? Can I call you Grandpa?"

The driver was startled for a second but soon he gave the boy a pleasant smile, "Yes of course. I've always wanted a grandson." He petted the boy on the head with his free hand before resting it on his lap once again. Through all that time, Milliardo was smiling a true smile, a smile that came from the heart. "Here Milliardo, why don't you try steering the horse for me?" Gratefully, Milliardo took the reins out of his new relative's hand and held the reins tight. Steady hands wrapped around his as Hayden explained all there was to driving and taught the boy fascinating things to caring for the animal. Soon enough, he went off to telling the child about his journeys and experiences during his youthful years. Milliardo smiled throughout the stories, listening intently to every word. 

~*~*~

_A month later…_

With a silent yawn, Milliardo stretched his hands and exercised them, freeing them from the nasty stillness he had acquired during the night. The thoughts about a pointless life had escaped his mind and instead, filled him with the deserved joy and laughter. He had a grandpa and he was satisfied as it differed from the incidents that had occurred four years ago. Milliardo didn't want to think about it anymore so he brushed it aside to his mind, knowing that one day he would somehow make the world a better place like the way his father wanted. But it all started with the basics.

"Milliardo, come here child," Hayden yelled, calling for the boy. Once Milliardo arrived, Hayden explained their situation. "We're separating with the others today and so from now on, they'll be living here whereas you and I will be heading to the slightly warmer climates and there we'll find a permanent place where you and I can settle. We'll only be travelling for another three weeks and perhaps you and I can build a farm and possibly sell crops at the next village."

"But Gramps, we're low on cash. How will we ever buy a farm?" the boy protested.

Hayden winked at the boy and smiled, "Remember I was a miner and I still have my lucky good necklace."

"But… but that necklace is your treasure, you said that it was your wife's. It's a piece of memory for you."

"Ah child… That was a long time ago. I should've moved on twenty years ago and now is the time."

A frown crossed Milliardo's face. "But-"

"Hush, Milliardo. Now let's bid farewell to our travelling companions and move on," he gripped his grandson's hand and led him back to the inn. With last words of good bye, they boarded the wagon again and continued to travel on.

Following his finger down the necklace's smooth golden surface, Milliardo admired the fine craftwork and studied it carefully. Two strips of thick gold coiled around on another until their ends met with a small clip made of lightweight aluminium. For a necklace like this one, it sure weighed a lot. Milliardo wondered how heavy it would be if he wore it on his neck. "Why don't you take care of it for me until we arrive at the village?" Hayden suggested, unlocking the clip and fastening it around the boy's neck. Gently laying his hand on his Grandpa's hands, Milliardo tried to stop the old man from connecting the two ends of the necklace together. "It's alright child, I trust you to take care of it and I know you will." Milliardo smiled and said words of thanks before happily grinning like a young fool.

They had been travelling for several hours now and the sky was darkening. Owls hooted in the night, sending shivers down Milliardo's spine. However he tried to stay brave and forced the frightened feeling out of his mind, half succeeding. A great possibility for them would be travelling through the night since they didn't start the journey until mid afternoon that day and they were to rest in the morning in the wagon with the rags as their blankets. The wagon's wheels bounced on the ground's surface, rolling over rocks and pebbles. Suddenly, Milliardo saw a flash of light in the bushes. But it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Now the child was on full alert, he knew that something was wrong; like the way it was that day when he was hiding in the garden, hugging tightly to his little sister. He didn't want those memories; he just wanted to block his mind from them. He glanced at his grandpa who sat perfectly calm and muttered coaxing words to him. As hard as he tried, it didn't seem to work. _It's alright. Nothing's wrong. Trust Gramps, trust Gramps. _

By the time he woke up, it was morning. The sun was rising up and the birds were chirping. He glanced at the old man beside him to find him smiling, humming a cheerful melody. "You're awake, Milliardo," he uttered. "Have some bread, it's in the wagon." The boy nodded and turned around and picked up a duffel bag under the rags. Bringing it to the front, he stuck his hand into the bag and brought out a loaf or bread they had purchased the day before, knowing that it would be sometime before they would arrive at a village with an inn and shops. Carefully he broke the bread into two and handed one half to Hayden and started chewing on his half. Once he had finished his portion, he reached into the bag for another and ate it slowly, the feeling of hunger vanishing. 

Another hour had passed and it seemed as if they were going to be arriving at a decent town within a short period of time. Everything was going smoothly. They approached the town, Hayden noticed some people, dressed in uniforms standing at the entrance of the town. He felt a sense of nervousness pass through him as they neared the people. Hayden recognised the uniforms, they were from the Alliance. Why where they there? A gasp escaped him as he realised the answer to his question; they were out in search for refugees from the Sank Kingdom, in search of people like them. Perhaps they would pass through without any problems.

Slowing down at the four troopers, the old driver pulled the horse to a halt and greeted one of the soldiers. "Morning sir, how can we help you?"

"There have been refugees from the Sank Kingdom lately and we're hoping that you two aren't any of them," uttered the one in charge who spoke with a suspicious tone in his voice.

"No sir, of course we aren't."

"Papers. Give me your papers."

"Papers, sir? What papers?" 

The one beside him growled, "Identification papers."

Hayden shook his head and muttered, "I'm sorry sir but we country folk don't have any identification papers." The man on the opposite side of the wagon made a signal and immediately, the three started restraining the horse and the wagon. "What are you doing!" he demanded, a fierce look on his face.

"You're a refugee from the Sank. Everyone should have papers and that goes for **everyone**," the chief soldier snarled.

Hayden whipped his horse, ordering it to break into a fast run into the town. Even the soldiers couldn't hold onto the horse tight enough and instead, it flew away, with wagon and passengers.

"Shoot him!" The shortest soldier lifted up a rifle and aimed it at the man's upper torso and pressed his finger against the trigger, firing a clean shot that had pierced through the old man's body.

"Gramps!" Milliardo yelled. His face conveyed the emotions of horror and anger. He immediately grabbed for his grandfather's arm and held him as the horse rushed through the empty lanes. The horse turned the corner with great sped and using this opportunity, Hayden pushed the boy off the wagon, into the lane. Just as Milliardo was about to scream after the running wagon, a hand clasped over his mouth and dragged him back into the narrow alley that could barely an adult but he struggled for release. His captor struck his at the base of his neck; knocking him out cold.

~*~*~

Milliardo groaned and placed a hand onto his head, rubbing the spot that had seemed to have formed a bruise. _How did it get there?_ He groaned and sat up from the uncomfortable position he was unconscious in. Glancing around, he noticed a dark gloomy wall straight in front of him, connected with another two on both sides. The only light he saw was from a hole in the wall behind. 

"You're awake." A voice to his left spoke. Instantly, he recognised the voice as a girl's voice. It was soft and slightly cheerful in some way. The young boy nodded and continued to look cautiously at the girl, noting her every movement as she approached. He backed up to the wall and leaned his back against it. "Don't be afraid I'm not here to hurt you." She chuckled softly as she stepped next to him, the light illuminating her pretty dark blue eyes that he had never seen before. "Here, have this and take a rest." As she spoke, she handed him a glass of water and left the room, through a small trapdoor on the left wall. Milliardo used this chance to figure whether this girl was taking him captive by crawling over to the trapdoor and pushing it gently. It was unlocked, he could see the afternoon light shining at the west. He let out a sigh and crawled back to his original spot, noticing a thick layer of hay padding that had padded him from the cold cement floor. His tiredness overtook his body and almost immediately, he fell back asleep.

When he woke up again, only the moonlight shone through the crack and his stomach growled endlessly. He stretched his limbs and slowly stood up. "I'm so hungry…" he mumbled to himself just as the smell of a cooked chicken flew into his nostrils. A grin replaced his frown instantly as he dashed through the trapdoor and into the night air. As he made a quick survey at the scene around him, he noticed that he was at the back of an alleyway, just a few buildings away from the restaurants and dining halls up the front. Taking a step forward, he heard a voice.

"Hey, where are you going?" The dirty looking boy turned around, noticing a girl with short dark hair approaching him, wearing boyish garments. "Don't you want some dinner?" In her left hand was a thick candle and in her right hand was a basketball with she held around her thighs. 

"I'd be delighted," he grinned as she turned away and walked down back where she came from. They headed into a small house, made of clay and wood. It was definitely small and compact. There a single room and a tiny bathroom that didn't even have a proper shower, instead it had a large, empty tub. But there was also a petite kitchen with a wooden bench. That house must've been fairly old because there weren't even lights connected to the roof. The only light they had came from the candle in the girl's hand. She led him to the bench and grabbed an old wooden stool at sat down, calling for him to do the same. Slowly, she opened the basket and laid out a few paper plates, followed by two large plastic containers. Milliardo noticed that the food inside one of the container was still hot because the steam was gathering on the walls of the container. It seemed to take forever for her to open the containers and lay out the food but it was actually his stomach, too impatient for any manners. Luckily, Milliardo's manners came along and saved him before he pigged out on all the food the way his father would've been disgusted at. The girl handed him a roll and took her own, filling the opened roll with pieces of warm chicken and salad. She gave him a smile and started eating, taking small bites into her dinner.

"Thank you for the dinner," he smiled, patting his stomach gently. "This is the first time I've had a candle light dinner with a girl."

The girl looked up at him and smiled as she gathered the empty plate and stuffed them back into the basket. He quickly stood up and helped her with the items. "How about you get a shower and a change of clothes? Someone wants to have a word with you tonight," she suggested, her quiet voice filled with kindness.

"Um… Alright," he muttered, accepting the offer as he made his way into the bathroom only to notice the tub empty. "Excuse me Miss, is there any water I can use?"

She let out a giggle as she stepped out of the house before stepping back in with a heavy bucket of warm water from outside. "I'm sorry about that. Let me fill it up for you." But Milliardo refused to stand and watch so he helped her collect the water while she held the candle that slightly illuminated their path. Once the tub was filled, the girl exited the bathroom and sat at the bench in darkness as she had given the boy the only candle.

Milliardo stripped himself of his dirty clothes and laid them in a neat pile near the door and began bathing himself in the warm water. Before dinner, he hadn't thought about the events that had happened that morning because of his exhaustion and hunger. Now that he had eaten and there was nothing to stop him from thinking, his mind was back to the scene when his grandfather died; because of a single bullet, because of the Alliance soldiers. He slammed his clenched fist to the side of the wooden tub and sobbed quietly. It was the same situation as before, his father had died because of the Alliance and he just stood there, watching him die. He was the one standing there, looking helpless like a lost child when he was shot in the head. Milliardo didn't deserve the name Peacecraft. He didn't deserve to live.

Letting out a silent sob, he cried, tears rushing down his face and dripping into the bath water. But twice, his adopted grandpa and his own father had risked their lives for him and died for him. "Why did they do that? Why? I would've been better off with them!" he shouted to the empty wall.

Suddenly, he received a reply from outside, "They risked their lives so that you would be able to live on and show the world what it really needs; peace." It was the girl, leaning against the closed door, answering his questions that he had thrust to the open world.

"How did you know I was talking about that?" he asked his voice low and cold.

"Because…" She wanted to say that she was once in the same position, she wanted to admit the fact badly but she kept it to herself and instead said something different. "Because I was there to witness it. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry on your private thoughts and I apologise for asking this, but could you hurry up a little? There is something that must be done tonight." There was no reply, she didn't expect a response from the boy and so she left, walking down the short corridor and out of the house.

Quickly the boy changed into the fresh pair of breeches the girl had given him as well as the new shirt. He used his fingers to comb his hair as he walked out of the bathroom. His face displayed a frown. "Here," the girl muttered, handing him a brush. Milliardo took it and thanked her, bringing the brush through his silky mane. "We better get going now." She picked up the candle and led the way, walking back through the alleyway and this time, they continued walking, past the old cell-like place and down to the main street. "Put that hood over your hair and cover it but don't look too suspicious." Without a clue as to where they were going, Milliardo obeyed and just continued walking alongside her but at the same time, staying weary of his surroundings.

They entered a fancy inn and walked past the dining area, where some travellers were enjoying their night. Walking through to the sleeping quarters, they walked down a long corridor, passing many rooms until they reached the one at the end. The girl stopped and knocked a particular pattern on the door. Expectedly, the door opened and they walked in. What Milliardo didn't expect to find was a young gentleman, dressed in the uniform of an elite soldier with neatly combed brown hair. "Milliardo Peacecraft," he uttered once the door was shut.

"How'd you know my name?" the boy hissed, suddenly aware of what might be danger. He lifted his fists up in a protective stance and looked at the man, staring into his blue eyes with ferocity. 

"I have been looking for you. Noin, go outside and take guard." The girl nodded and obediently left the room, standing outside the door with a hidden pistol in her pocket. "Let me introduce myself, my name is Treize Kushrenada, future leader of OZ." Milliardo continued to stare at him but inside he was slightly startled to see the young man poor himself a glass of wine in a calm fashion as if he dealt with this time of situation fairly often. "I know of your hate towards the Alliance. They have murdered the citizens of your kingdom and most importantly your family as well as your adopted grandfather."

 "How do you know so much?"

Treize smirked and sighed. "Come, take a seat. There is no need to fear me as I am on your side." Reluctantly, Milliardo stepped forward and sat opposite to the man who was busying himself to a sip of luxurious red wine. 

"Why do you speak as if we're partners!" the boy demanded, trying his best to show his courage.

"Don't you want revenge for your family?"

Milliardo whispered the repeat of the word, "Revenge." The word lingered on the tip of his tongue but no matter how hard he tried, it didn't disappear. Finally he started his questioning, obviously interested in this conversation. "How can I do anything to help you? I have no abilities or power, what good can I do? My title as Prince Milliardo Peacecraft is only a name that everyone is after."

"You have abilities dear Prince. I am only helping you find them and then, enhance them into something even you don't think you'll be capable of having." Treize took another sip from his wine, letting the boy think to himself for a while.

The moment of silence slipped away once again. "Why are you so willing to help me?"

Treize smiled and looked at the boy, "Because, we are against the Alliance as well as you and such worthy soldiers are hard to find." Truthfully, he was slightly, very slightly doubtful that the boy was what he indicated to be but his instincts told him that this child was much stronger in both spirit and physical ways and his job was to bring it out, the same way he did with the girl. "At the Lake Victoria Academy, we educate cadets as well as feeding them, clothing them and provide them with shelter." As captivating as it was, Milliardo tried his best to stop his face from conveying his emotions that would let his opposition think that he got the upper hand. "This is your decision, I won't force you into making the deal but of course, I hope you'll consider it before you toss it aside." Throughout the last bit of the conversation, Milliardo stayed silent, standing in a straight posture. "Take as long as you need to decide, the cadet outside will serve to your needs."

The man stood up and took slow steps towards the door, his hand on the door knob, twisting it slowly. "Wait," Milliardo uttered loudly, "I accept the deal." He hung his head slightly, half ashamed. But the Milliardo he once was was gone, and now he was someone different with a totally new identity. 

"Are you sure that this is your decision?" 

"Yes." His voice had gone quiet but inside, he felt the harsh beatings he gave himself.

Treize leaned forward and shook boy's hand, confirming the deal. "How should I address you, cadet?"

Thinking to himself, Milliardo looked at his cheerful memories  and spoke, "Zechs, Zechs Merquise." _Zechs, because I was six when the __Sank__Kingdom__ fell and Merquise because my grandfather was called Hayden Merquise._

"Welcome to the Academy, Cadet Merquise."

~*~*~

Six months had already come and gone and the new Cadet, Zechs Merquise was no longer a new cadet. He was already assigned as one of the top students, based on his exams results, studies and overall performance. No one had formed any sort of friendship with him; he was just a loner. Often he would see other cadets walking past him, in their individual groups. Everyone had started at the Academy a year before him and so, was able to form groups quickly. To them, he was just a mysterious individual, wearing the silver mask. Before he attended the Specials, he had asked Treize as a form of their new friendship, to design for him, a mask that would hide his features and hide the forgotten prince from the world. But it didn't hide him from those terrible nightmares occurring each night that startled him to an extreme point. Sometimes they were so bad that the cadet next door was woken up from his slightly muffled screams but luckily they never realised where the cries came from as they came so suddenly.

Glancing across the room, Zechs noticed a particularly familiar face. Yes that was it, she was the girl who saved him in the first place and brought him to Treize. By now he had learnt that she was _the_ top student of their year, beating the cadet in second place by far. All the teachers favoured her and obviously, Instructor Treize did so too but he didn't show it as much as the other instructors did. But as a person overall, the girl was rather outgoing and formed many friendships with the other cadets both male and female. He tore himself away from looking at her direction and concentrated on gathering his books so that he could leave the classroom and head for lunch. The food there wasn't that bad, in fact it could be fairly good on occasions. Entering the dining hall, he fetched a tray from the servers and glanced around for a place to sit, some first year cadets had taken his normal table and so he had to seek for another place. Eventually, he sat down at the end of an empty table, eating slowly and politely, his manners still around.

"Happy birthday Noin!" a girlish voice shouted, the words blasting into everyone's eardrums. He turned around to see the sight of a girl rushing over to a dark-haired cadet, wrapping her arms around the cadet's upper body. _Noin?__ Isn't that that girl's name?_ "You're turning twelve today!" _Twelve?__ Then she's three and a half months younger than me._ A few other cadets rose from their seats and greeted her, wishing her happy birthday and all. Even the male cadets were presenting her flowers and presents. _She sure is popular._ Zechs' birthday had gone quiet differently to hers. Actually, no one knew it was his birthday, he had kept it concealed to himself not that anyone would've liked to know.

Squeezing out of her friend's clutches, Noin was instantly bombarded with gifts and presents of all sizes. All she could say was a quick thank you before placing them on a pile on the side of the hall, ready for after lunch pickup. The long haired boy could only look at her in a way that represented both admiration and cheerfulness. He was amazed at how the people liked her and idolised her in a certain way. Surely she must like the attention and popularity given to her. Sitting back and leaning deep into his chair, Zechs let out a sigh and continued to clear out the rest of the food still on his plate.

It was already free time and he had nothing in particular worth doing except maybe study mobile suit tactics or some fencing practise even though he was already an expert at it. But it didn't hurt to improve. With his mind made up, he headed towards the gym in a fast pace. As much as he wanted to own his own personal foil, he didn't have the money to buy it. The academy didn't provide the cadets with much income or any income at all as a matter of fact. Those cadets who had relatives who were still alive were supported by their family with incoming pocket money sent through the mail but the less fortunate orphans were given a small amount of pocket money and extra if they helped with extra chores around the academy. Sometimes, the favourites were often stealthily given money by instructors but the other cadets rarely knew of this. Approaching the gym, he noticed a few female cadets pointing at him and speaking in whispered tones. But he ignored it and strode into the gym. A few other junior cadets of his year were inside already, practising fencing techniques. Although he made a quiet entrance, it seemed as if they too displayed their attention on him. Why were the other students whispering behind his back like that? He pretended that he didn't care and walked down to male changing room and changed into his sports tracksuit before putting on his fencing gear. Silently he trudged to the mat and exercised his limbs, warming them up for a bit before starting practising several lunges. 

Zechs heard footsteps nearing him and looked around to see the cadets. "Hey Merquise, we heard about your drugs. Everybody knows that you have mental problems and need the drugs to keep you sane," mocked a brown haired shortie by the name of Cadet Butch. 

The blond-haired boy merely grunted and turned away. 

"Hey stop walking away Merquise! I'm talking to you mask boy, the one who tries to hide his ugly head!" Butch growled his voice displayed slightly irritated tone. But Zechs continued and kept ignoring the rude boy, until another cadet ran in front of him and grabbed him by the front of his fencing jacket.

By then, the crowd was building up especially because of the walkway that travelled over the top of the gym. Down at the scene, Zechs was being yelled at for a false rumour which he knew he couldn't convince anyone otherwise. They were so intent on believing the rumour as the truth that they didn't even know the real pain he suffered when those nightmares visited him. "C'mon Merquise, complain. Holler like the way all lunatics do and say that you don't," teased the brunette who had first stopped him from leaving. Zechs only gave the group, the 'silent' treatment and showed no signs of performing unnecessarily like a moron. _Let them believe what they want. It's not my problem._

"Leave him alone!" he heard a threatening voice coming from one side of the gym. Slowly he turned around, noticing a rather frightening version of Noin stomping across the gym.

"But Noin, I was just giving him a warning," Butch protested, the tone of his voice had turned into a pleading whine. 

But the raven-haired cadet eyed him angrily. "These rumours I hear of aren't needed around here. Whatever is the truth, Cadet Merquise knows and we hold no authority over him and his privacy so leave him alone." Her voice wasn't pushy or threatening but firm unlike the tone it was in before. "Anyone else who bullies him or another cadet will have to speak with me." 

Slowly the bully backed away, and gave a huff before exiting the gym, followed by his gang.

"Are you alright Cadet Merquise?" she questioned at the slightly taller boy.

"Yeah, thanks I guess," Zechs muttered, a faint blush of red appearing tinting his cheeks. 

"I'll see you around then." Noin smiled and strode out, leaving the lone fencer by himself.

~*~*~

Zechs approached the ranking board, his heart beating faster and faster. He had wanted to rank so badly as one of the top students. Each step he took called for another nervous heartbeat until he was in front of the board. His eyes slowly scanned from the bottom of the top 20 list, making their way up to the top. They stopped, his heart skipped a beat. There were his initials, 'ZN' placed in the column right next to the number 2. A sheepish grin appeared on his face as he grimaced at the fact he had scored the second highest position in his first year at the academy. Absent-mindedly, he walked away from the board and felt a peculiar warm feeling inside him boiling up. The boy hadn't even bothered looking up to see who was in first place; he knew who was there but he was already pleased with the fact that he had scored so high up. 

A hand settled on his shoulder, suddenly waking him up from his trance. The person behind him giggled and smiled at him, "No need to be so startled Cadet Merquise. You did well and I wouldn't be surprised if you beat me in the next test." Turning around he noticed Noin smiling at him with both her eyes and her mouth. 

"I'm not so sure Cadet Noin and please call me Zechs instead, it feels weird hearing my surname instead of my real name," he replied gleefully.

"Alright Cadet Zechs but I'm sorry I don't have a suitable given name to offer you to call me by. I prefer Noin because it doesn't state my sex and I rather people think of me as just a soldier rather than a _female_ soldier."

He smiled and spoke understandingly, "I know how you feel. Well I guess this is the beginning of a new friendship?" His tone had changed to an uncertain expression. 

"Yes, of course it is. It was probably there all that time before but you didn't know it." A perplexed look boarded Zechs' face as he stared with confused eyes. But Noin just smiled and excused herself, leaving the boy to stand and ponder at her words.

~*~*~

"Cadet Noin and Cadet Zechs, please report to Instructor Treize after the lesson. He wants a few words with you two in his office afterwards," their present teacher informed, spreading a curious gossip around the class.

"Yes Instructor Ryan," Noin and Zechs responded in unison, the pair seated at the opposite sides of the classroom. Zechs was eager to know what Treize Kushrenada wanted from them. The last time they had talked was only two weeks ago during free time after dinner over a game of chess (_A/N: Very popular to ZxN academy fanfics_). They often spoke casually to each other and sometimes, Zechs was privileged to stay up longer than the other cadets. He was even more curious to why Noin was also asked to go. Even though Noin and Treize knew each other longer than he did, it seemed as if he and the instructor were closer friends than they were. Bells rung loudly, informing the cadets and instructors that it was the end of the period. Noin had already gathered her books swiftly and waited by Zechs' tableside while he stacked his books into a pile. "Thanks for waiting Cadet Noin," he uttered as he tucked his chair neatly under the table. She gave him an 'it's alright' smile.

Following down the corridor, the pair walked at a steady pace knowing that Treize liked the students to be prompt and punctual. They stopped at his door and Zechs knocked gently at the wooden door, waiting patiently until they heard their instructor's approval,

"Instructor Treize, you wanted to see us?' Noin questioned, stepping into the room, followed by the ex-prince, closing the door behind himself.

"Yes," Treize muttered. The older teenager was seated behind a table in his smart looking uniform. His gloved hands were resting casually against the wooden table surface. "I have looked at your reports thoroughly and have found some errors in them." He paused, leaving the tension in the air. "They have been corrected already and you two can take a look at them." Lifting two folders off the table together with separate hands, he leaned slightly across the table and passed the folders to their respective owners. 

Nervously Zechs peeled open the front cover of the folder and peered inside, his finger tracing down his profile until he reached the word 'Senior'. He glanced at Noin, noticing that she had found the same 'problem' on her profile. But he was faster than her when he spoke, "What does 'Senior Year' mean, Instructor Treize?" 

The brown haired teen smirked and uttered, "You two are to be transferred to different grades; higher grades."

Noin looked up at him and stated, "But I've only been here for ten months. Every cadet trains as a junior for three years before they move on to senior grades, from there they train for another three years before they graduate which means we're to graduate when we're sixteen since we are second year cadets."

"That's true. This applies for the ordinary cadet."

Zechs gawked, his eyes bulging. "You mean we're not normal?"

Treize felt an invisible drop of sweat fall rapidly down the side of his face. "Yes but that's not exactly the way I would've put it. You will move dormitories so that you're with your new peers as well as your new lessons and trainings classes, they be at different times and change altogether. I will arrange it so that you two will be in the same lessons so that you have each other's company at least." The older boy twisted his body around and picked up something off the floor and held them in his hands. "These are your new uniforms as senior cadets. There will be fewer restrictions but the same major rules apply." He handed them each a uniform and dismissed them, letting the two think about their new situation. 

Turning to the cadet next to him, Zechs asked, "So which class do we go to now?"

Noin stared at him blankly and blinked several times, giving him the impression that she had no idea what was happening. 

"Just great…"

~*~*~

The two twelve year olds approached their new fencing instructor, watching him intently as he displayed several new strokes. Several of their older classmates were sniggering at the blond-haired youth, laughing at his mask and his hopeless look. The girl was a laugh too, just like the boy. Usually girls dropped out of the academy once they reached the seniors and only about three percent of the entire year would be populated by girls. Being paired up for a duel, Zechs ended up with a fairly tall male cadet who was about three years older than him and Noin was paired with a muscular guy with a primitive look about him. The former prince launched himself into a fencing stance, his foil lifted up against the older boy's foil. He lunged forward and attacked while his opponent parried. Lunge. Thrust. Parry. These actions were carried out during the short duel until Zechs managed to land the tip of his foil on the older cadet's torso, ending the match. He lifted his helmet off his head and held it loosely in his arm. Offering a handshake, he stretched his hand in front of him, a cheerful smile directing towards his opponent who simply grunted and left him standing foolishly. They had attended enough of these lessons to understand how it worked. Once a cadet won the match, he would change opponents to another who had also won his match, they would see who was the winner of their duel and finally the two winning cadets would play the finishing duel.

Zechs turned around to see the other matches, noticing Noin landing a touch. She glanced around at him and smiled. Instead of smiling back, Zechs blushed and quickly tried to take control of his escaping emotions by jerking his head around. Luckily his mask protected his ears from her eyes. 

Soon enough, Zechs and Noin were facing each other at the final round, knowing that one will win and the other would lose, unless they had the same timing to land their foils on their opponent at the same time. The older students were just watching at the two minors in amazement as they tried to strike each other. Noin had blocked out all her friendly feelings for Zechs and fought beneath her mask. It was something she was capable of doing and did well at it. She tried to use her bad memories to her advantage and attacked her opponent with subtle force, but a thought in her mind restrained her and told her it was just a friendly duel and nothing serious. Slowly, she let the memories go and tried to enjoy the match, expertly blocking Zechs foil with her own. The girl took a step forward and lunged at Zechs who parried her foil just in time before Noin scored a touch on him. They continued for quiet a while and meanwhile, Noin was still concentrating on perfecting that spin she was taught many years ago.  But Zechs proved to be a worthy opponent and evaded her every move. 

Zechs could see the expression clearly that her every attack bore. It was determination to win. Every fourth or fifth attack she would try and twist her foil around his in attempt to hit it out of his hand but she failed every time. The young boy held his ground as she attacked down low, his foil clashing against hers with a loud smash. Unexpectedly, she withdrew and stepped back, taking a quick breather still in her stance. Using this opportunity Zechs lunged forward and aimed for her chest, his foil swooping under and up. The female cadet let out a soft grunt and twisted her right hand around in one hundred and eighty degrees, her foil wrapping around her opponents. She jerked her wrist upwards and tugged, pulling the foil away with her own. There was an empty metal sound as Zechs' foil hit the ground and landed roughly. Noin smirked as the tip of her foil landed gently on Zechs' torso. 

Zechs smiled and looked at her through his mask, "Great match, Cadet Noin." He brought his hands forward for a handshake which the girl took without thinking twice, a certain twinkle in her eyes told him that she had appreciated the tough duel.

~*~*~

They headed their separate ways during free time, Noin in search of her other friends and Zechs for his dormitory. Just a few more months and he would be a year two Senior. It seemed so amazing and unbelievable at the same time. He had only been with the Specials for nine months and Noin as had learnt, three months more than him and they were already skipping grades and earning the respects of their new peers as they tried to perform their best (which was easily done). Again they were at the top of the class but the seniors respected them because they didn't boast and instead, helped them kindly with their problems and taught them when they didn't understand. Together the two worked as a team. 

"Hey Cadet Zechs," Noin muttered as she left her used cutlery at the washing basin, "you go to class first. Instructor Treize wants to see me."

The boy beside him nodded, "Hey Noin?"

"Yeah?" Turning around to look at him in the face, Noin titled her head slightly.

"Just call me Zechs. We're closer friends than just classmates."

"Sure." 

Walking to his first class of the day, Zechs pondered why Instructor Treize wanted to see Noin in particular. Maybe he could ask Treize later but then again perhaps it wasn't wise to do so and Noin would tell him if it were something she wanted him to know about. Instructor Fenn, the geography teacher strode into the room and the cadets quickly stood up, saluting in alert. "At Ease," he said loudly and gestured for the cadets to sit. 

Ten minutes of the lesson had already come and gone and Zechs was bored of the repetitive lessons as a few of the other cadets didn't understand about contour lines and weather graphs and Noin still hadn't come back yet.

By the end of the day, he realised he didn't even see Noin at all that day except at breakfast. He had gotten quite lonely during the lessons without her company. He headed back to his dormitory, ready for a shower before dinner. As he turned the knob, his eyes drifted onto the floor, noticing a white envelope on the floor with his name written neatly in the middle with an inked pen. Bending down to retrieve it, he recognised the handwriting as Noin's and immediately gathered his speed, peeling open the flap and tugging out the letter inside. Reading it aloud to himself, he said,

_                                "Dear Zechs, _

_                                Instructor Treize has asked for me and two other cadets to fight in space. We will have left by the time you read this _

_                                letter. I'm sorry Zechs to leave you so abruptly and I hope that I will come back in one piece. I also apologise for _

_                                short letter. Farewell Zechs and hopefully I have your hopes with me,_

_                                                                                                                                                                                 Your best friend, Noin."_

He sighed and sat at the edge of his bed, the letter in his hand slightly crumpled because of his tight grip on it. "Noin, you definitely have my hopes with you and you're definitely _my_ best friend."

~*~*~

The sun stood high above the earth's surface, its harsh rays lighting up the streets for the people on earth. Striding down the market streets, Zechs smiled, enjoying the civilian ways of life as something different to his normal academy days. It also reminded him of the short period of time he had spent with his adopted grandfather. Those days felt comforting although they travelled more than half of the time but it had brought him comfort. Several times he had caught himself wondering what it would be like if Hayden hadn't died and they were living on a farm with decent housing and living with the crops and animals. A sigh escaped his body as he walked past the stores, stopping at a fruit store. Behind the trays of fruit was a young boy around eight, smiling childishly at him. Zechs could only grin back at him and pulled a shining silver coin from his pocket, picking up an apple whilst handing the coin over to the boy. The child smiled a bigger smile that showed his teeth and a small black hole that one positioned a missing tooth. Slowly the young soldier continued his way and bit into the flesh of the apple, chewing with his mouth closed like the way his mother had taught him to all those years ago. He would never forget his mother or his father; their spirits were alive in him and he was proud of it. So far he was still an innocent child, with hands clean of blood. But those days were going to end that day and his bloody life would start soon…

A sudden cry from behind alerted him as he spun himself around and faced two Alliance soldiers, knocking down trays with their feet. An evil looking smirk mounted their faces as they stepped closer to the boy who had sold him the apple. Beside him was a frail looking man who seemed to be nearing his seventies. Zechs dashed up to the commotion, his hand wrapped around his pistol, reading to use it as a threatening weapon if necessary. The people around had scattered and ran behind their own trays or took shelter in the alleys, fear spreading from one person to another like a deadly virus. The taller soldier lifted up the old man by the collar of his shirt, pulling him inches off the ground. His arm was bent, connecting to a tight fist.

"Stop there and don't move!" Zechs yelled, pulling the pistol from its holster. The gun was aimed at the attacking soldier, his finger nervously positioned near the trigger.

But the other man just laughed and mocked him with words, "Look, we have a baby with a gun and he wants to kill us with us. I bet the weakling can't even aim properly." The two laughed menacingly, pointing at his mask. "I wonder who the weakling has for a father."

Letting go of the man, the soldier smirked and stared at him. "Let me guess, a weakling?" They were instantly roaring with laughter, holding their stomachs to avoid themselves from toppling over.

Fury blinded the cadet as he shouted on the top of his lungs, "You can insult me but you can't insult my father like that!" He aimed at one of the soldier's at the heart and pulled the trigger without thinking once. A bullet launched from the pistol as it pierced through the man's flesh without mercy. Around him the people looked in horror and tried to shield themselves away from the gruesome scene. Through his mask, Zechs could see the man fall onto his knees and then lay lifelessly on the ground, blood oozing out of his bloody wound. Beside the body was its angry companion, charging at him dangerously. Zechs could only follow his instincts as he pulled up his gun and let the bullet rip out of the weapon.

~*~*~

_I'm no more than a bloody soldier, no more than what I am now; a killer. I'm not fit for my kingdom's throne but I will live on and place my sister back on the throne where she belongs and after she has it back under her grasp, I will fade and there will no longer be me…_

~*~*~

**_A/N:_**_ Hehehe, another ficcie finished. It's taken me ages to type it and for once I've typed something L…………O……………N……………G………… As you see I'm pretty proud of myself ^^ I hope that I get reviews and LOTS of them (pretty doubtful but I can still hope). Now I'll resume my other fics._


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